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10 04, 2015

Spreading Her Wings

By judythemorgan|2015-04-10T06:00:33-05:00April 10th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

I looked out the window last week and discovered one of the chickens on top of the shed.

This was a new trick so I snapped a picture from the back patio. Then I cautiously walked to the coop to try to coax the bird down on the correct side of the fence.

Fortunately I was successful.

Later in the week I discovered the same bird in the yard next door. She was enjoying the lush, green grass.

I thought about retrieving her but that meant walking all the way around the front of the house and through the neighbor’s gate.Or I could jump the fence.

I decided to go inside and pretend I didn’t see anything.

I told Beekeeper Brian we had a wandering chicken. He assured me she would return at nightfall. He also suggested I clip her wings when she did.

Sure enough, when I went to close up the chickens, there she was. I clipped her wings, much to her dismay. When I left, she was trying to fly up to the top of the nest boxes to roost. She has remained on the ground in her chicken yard since then.

Now the gray bantam, however…..

8 04, 2015

Spring Work

By judythemorgan|2015-04-08T06:00:23-05:00April 8th, 2015|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

The sun is melting away the lingering snow. Chipmunks and squirrels are scampering in the woods behind our house. Birds are chirping. Grass is turning green.

Poppies are working their way through the soil in the front flower bed. The Aspen trees are budding.

Spring is indeed at work with joyful enthusiasm in our mountains.

The call to dig in the dirt instead of getting words on the page is great.

Are you feeling the twinges of Spring Fever?

6 04, 2015

Narcissist – do you know one?

By judythemorgan|2015-04-06T06:00:19-05:00April 6th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

The idea of narcissism comes from Greek mythology.

Narcissus, a beautiful youth, spurned the nymph Echo then fell in love with his own reflection in a spring. His reflection was unapproachable so Narcissus gradually perished and became the flower narcissus or daffodil.

The myth illustrates that if you are overly egotistic or care more about yourself than others, it can lead to bad things.

That’s my cliff note version. To read the full story click here.

We’ve all met narcissistic people. People with an inordinate fascination with themselves and who make excessive reference to themselves and their accomplishments in conversation or writing.

Life is all about them and they let you know.

What surprises (and doesn’t surprise me) is the fact that narcissism is on the rise in the U.S. according to Dr. Kelly Neff.

Has social media contributed to this rise? Think about it, doesn’t the very idea of a “selfie” imply a degree of narcissism. Methinks it does.

Dr. Neff talks about the correlation in her article, 7 Things You Need to Know About Narcissists, From A Psychologist’s Perspective

We all exhibit narcissistic traits from time-to-time. It’s called positive self-esteem and self-esteem is not a bad thing.

However, dealing with a true narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) can drain your energy. They are manipulative and skilled at getting what they want out of people.

If you’re not sure someone you know is a true narcissist, watch for these other characteristics:

Exaggerating their abilities and achievements
Constant need for attention, affirmation and praise
A strong sense of entitlement
An expectation of special treatment

If you have a narcissist in your life (like I do), check out these two articles:

How to Deal With A Narcissist and Dealing with a Narcissist

Personally, I’m going to be positive and picture in my head the flower that Narcissus became whenever I encounter my narcissist.

Or maybe I’ll model a character in my next book after the narcissist culprit in my life then kill him off.

That’s one of the perks of being a writer.

3 04, 2015

One of These Dogs is not Like the Others

By judythemorgan|2015-04-03T06:00:19-05:00April 3rd, 2015|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|4 Comments

By Chicken Wrangler Sara

As I was driving down our street last week, I spotted a loose dog. This happens periodically and I don’t always take any action.

This dog, however, was dragging a leash. I figured someone would be chasing it so I stopped to help. An older couple driving slowly in a car pulled up beside me. I figured they were the owners, but alas, they were also Good Samaritan dog catchers.

Between us and a man out working in his yard, we were able to grab the leash. There was no collar. The leash was simply draped around the dog’s neck. What’s more, the dog was very skinny and very scared.

I tried to pick her up to put her in my car and she winced and snapped at me.

I knew her life had not been good.

I called Beekeeper Brian and then walked the dog to our house. Beekeeper Brian gave her some food while I went to retrieve my car. We coaxed her into the backyard and went to run some errands.

When we returned, Matt was sitting in the backyard with her. “I named her Anabelle” he said. Within a couple of hours, she was following him around the yard. She even let him pick her up.

Over the next few days I called the local animal shelters and checked the Facebook Lost and Found page for our area. No one was looking for Anabelle. Matt was glad.

Anabelle gets along great with the dachshunds. She chases Tucker as he chases his ball. He gets slightly annoyed with her at times but then he gets annoyed with anyone who gets between him and his ball.

We’re looking for a good home for Anabelle. Matt loves her, but he will be going off to college in August. He’s willing to let her go to the right “forever” home.

Meanwhile, I have quite a canine trail following me to check the chickens. If Anabelle were a dachshund I probably wouldn’t even notice.

1 04, 2015

Simplifying Easter for Kids

By judythemorgan|2024-03-28T07:26:08-05:00April 1st, 2015|Holidays, one word Wednesday|0 Comments

The Easter season always reminds me of my years as Children’s Ministry Director. With all the hype about Easter eggs and bunny rabbits around, children can become confused about the real meaning of the season.

I loved explaining the true significance of this most holy Christian holiday in terms the children understood.

One lesson involved As we prepared, baked, and shared the rolls, I’d remind the kiddos that this is not magic. The dough bakes as it’s supposed to. The marshmallow melts as it’s supposed to do. And the sweet syrupy filling left behind reminds us of God’s grace, free to all.

When teaching the lesson, I also pointed out the other symbolism:

Marshmallow – the body of Jesus
Butter – oils used in burial
Cinnamon and sugar – the spices used to perfume the body
Dough – the tomb
Baked roll with an empty center – representing the empty tomb following the resurrection

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it with youngsters, or the young-at-heart, around your house.

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated crescent rolls, preferably Pillsbury
8 large marshmallows
3 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Mix cinnamon and sugar ahead of time.
Melt butter in the microwave ahead of time.
Preheat oven to 375. (Turn oven on just before beginning to assemble rolls.)
Separate crescent rolls and lay individual triangles on workspace.
Dip marshmallow in butter and roll to thoroughly coat.
Roll buttered marshmallows in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place a marshmallow on the narrow tip of the crescent dough and roll toward the large end.
Pinch dough together firmly at the edges and any thin spots.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Another Easter Sunday lesson I’ve used involves jellybeans.

This is a variation of the Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Wordless Book.

Without words, this book tells the story of God and the best gift of all.

I love Easter candy…jellybeans, Hersey candy-coated chocolate eggs, especially those marshmallow Peeps.

I love the cuddly bunnies, but I think it’s very important that we remember the true reason for this season.

30 03, 2015

Disconnect between wants and actions

By judythemorgan|2015-03-30T06:00:13-05:00March 30th, 2015|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

As a writer, I have goals: x-number of words, pages, chapters per day, a book published by a specific date then…

Life erupts.

Circumstances change.

Accidents happen.

What I want to do and what I do become a major disconnect.

Jennifer Crusie says, “Part of being a writer is defending your vision and not caving … .”

Disconnecting between goals and actions is unavoidable even if you’re not a writer and not caving is too often easier to say than do.

Let me suggest two ways to connect your want and your action to prevent caving:

Stick to your goal even if it takes longer than you want to achieve.
Never settle for less than what you are capable of.

Does your goal sometimes seem out of reach?

Keep focusing, keep aiming!

27 03, 2015

Why We Have Chickens

By judythemorgan|2015-03-27T06:00:55-05:00March 27th, 2015|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

by Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

Most people assume we have chickens for the fresh eggs they provide. While this is certainly true, there is also the entertainment factor.

For example, I looked out my kitchen window last week and saw this:

They are standing on Beekeeper Brian’s bee hives.

Even if I wanted to pose them like this, I would not attempt it. I took several pictures through the window figuring that as soon as I opened the back door, they would all jump down.

Then I decided to risk it:The white chicken saw me first – and jumped down.The others soon followed.

I’m thinking of installing a chicken-cam to record all day. There’s no telling what I miss when I have to go to work. I’d much rather stay home and watch the chickens.

Of course, the children I teach can be equally entertaining at times.

26 03, 2015

Showing Up

By judythemorgan|2015-03-26T06:00:25-05:00March 26th, 2015|Company's Coming|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Gail Kittleson

Someone decided to take an older relative to Europe to celebrate her retiring from work. When they broke the news, the woman said, “Oh . . . I’ve really been wanting to go to Florida.”

Another friend of a friend was discussing her plans to go to Oktoberfest. My friend asked, “Wonderful—have you been in Germany before?”

“Oh, we’re not going to Germany, we’re going to Oktoberfest at the Epcot Center.”

The two conversations stuck in my mind, since both reactions were unexpected.

These narratives fit my purposes right now because today I had an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

A friend of mine has found numerous ancient pottery shards in her Arizona yard. She’s also unearthed a Native American grinding stone, and when I recently met a man who worked on our house, he said the excavators discovered a large metate (most likely the mate of the grinding stone) on the property back in the eighties.

This was especially intriguing, since one of my historical novels takes place right here. My heroine looks out at the Mogollon Rim every morning, and in her forced isolation on a desolate ranch, that landmark steadies her, gives her hope. She yearns to meet some natives and learn their language.

Research tells me several tribes wandered this land, but the news about the grinding stone found right under our house . . . Wow!

Back to the shards.

I’ve looked and looked, but nary a shard peeped up at me from the rocky red soil, and I resigned myself to being shard challenged. But on this gorgeous March morning, TA DA . . . drum roll, please,

I found one!

Yes, and it actually matches a larger piece my friend found last year. How cool is that?!

Yesterday I attended a contemplative prayer workshop facilitated by a well-known instructor. He shared how spiritual experiences come to us when we least expect them, and how our part is simply to show up.

We might be “doing everything right,” disciplined in our practice, and nothing seems to happen. Then one day, maybe we feel wretched and unfaithful and so ridiculously unworthy, we can hardly lift our heads. And that might be the time we experience our clearest connection.

Every other time I went out to search for shards, I hoped to find one. So why, when I’d pretty much given up on success, did I discover one today?

“Ours is not to reason why . . .”

Ours is just to show up with our whole hearts and open ourselves to the moment. Such a positive way to face life – our work, our hobbies, and our spirituality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet Gail Kittleson

Sometimes we learn what we’ve done only after we do it. I wrote Catching Up With Daylight over a ten-year period, but learned the term “spirituality writing” only after the book was published. This is a life theme for me–figuring things out after the fact, but even though it may make things a little harder, I learn a lot in the process. I live with my very patient husband (35 years) in St. Ansgar, Iowa, teach a small creative writing class, and facilitate workshops on creativity/memoir writing/aging with grace. Vintage Rose Press offered me my first fiction contract in December, 2014, so I’m deep in edits and loving every minute of it. Well, almost every minute…

Catching Up with Daylight: A Journey to Wholeness is available from

Amazon Paperback or Kindle

Barnes & Noble Paperback or Nook

Christian Books.com

23 03, 2015

Write a Book Review? Why?

By judythemorgan|2015-03-23T06:00:45-05:00March 23rd, 2015|Monday Motivations|2 Comments

I can see your cringe and your wrinkled brow on the other side of the computer screen when you read today’s blog title. I hear the muttered protest, “I’ll read, but please don’t ask me to write a book review.” I guessing you have one or more of the concerns I read in a recent post by Joan Reeves about why readers don’t write reviews. • Readers may not know exactly what to say or how to say it • Readers are wary of attacks from other readers with different opinions • Readers don’t want to hurt the author’s feelings or invoke the wrath of a popular author’s loyal readers • Readers are concerned that they don’t have the writing skills necessary to write a review. All are legitimate reasons, but also reasons easily overcome if you truly want to support your favorite authors. You can write a book review. Really. A book review is simply a conversation about a book you’ve read. A good book review talks about the story and tells others why you did or didn’t like the book. There are only two no-no’s when you write and post a review: • Never include “spoilers” (elements of the book that should surprise) • Don’t allow personal prejudices or attitudes about the author or anything not related to the writing to intrude into your review. Now, consider the benefits of writing a book review. • A good book review helps readers decide if a book is for them. • A good book review helps authors improve their writing. Authors recognize not all readers will love their “baby” as much as they do. Even bad reviews are valuable, if they are constructive. Most important, when you write (and post) a book review to sites like Amazon and GoodReads, you help increase an author’s visibility. The more reviews a book has, the more likely the author and their book will be noticed in the great sea of available books. Now, go finish reading your book and then write a review. You can do it. I know you can.

20 03, 2015

Repairing Chickens

By judythemorgan|2015-03-20T06:00:19-05:00March 20th, 2015|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

By Guest Blogger Chicken Wrangler Sara

I recently gathered all my materials to teach the song “Chicken on a Fencepost” to my 3^rd and 4^th graders. (See previous post Chicken on Fencepost for a look at the music.)

This included two chicken puppets that make chicken noises when “played” just right. I made them several years ago and the sound was so authentic, the chickens in the backyard came running to meet their new friends.

The sound is made by running a damp sponge along a string running through the top of a cup which is decorated to look like a chicken. The students love it. (And so do I.)

As I demonstrated the proper technique, a tragedy occurred. The string broke.

Then the comb fell over. It was a sad sight.

Fortunately I had another, smaller, chicken puppet that worked for the moment. Of course, everyone wants to use the bigger chicken so I’ll have to fix it eventually.

I am probably the only person on earth who has a “to do” list which includes “repair chicken.”